text: In response to these market changes Eric Duckworth initiated changes of policy. Fulmer sought to extend its services to include the full range from R&D and testing to small scale manufacture, to extend its area of expertise to cover a wider range of materials and to develop new markets.  It sought to collaborate with or to acquire organisations with complementary skills and facilities.
  The aim was to be able to offer to industrial companies a comprehensive service in all aspects of materials technology.
  Fulmer also changed its policy on intellectual property.  Previously patents were applied for as part of sponsored projects so that all rights belonged to the sponsor.
  Beginning in 1970, the policy also included the patenting of worthwhile ideas developed in-house before applying for sponsorship so that Fulmer could retain rights and benefit from subsequent exploitation.
  Another new approach was to launch projects in which a number of clients jointly sponsored a development (multi-client projects).
  There was also a change of management style. Early in his career Eric Duckworth had spent ten years at the Glacier Metal Company at the time when the Glacier Project - a pioneering new approach to management-staff relations - was being developed there by Wilfred (later Lord) Brown, the managing director, and Elliott Jaques of the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations.
  When he joined Fulmer Eric Duckworth introduced a style of management heavily influenced by his experience of the Glacier Project.  Over time this evolved into an open style with features such as a company council with
  representatives from all staff, regular management briefing of staff and transparent grading and pay scales against which individual staff were appraised annually. The grading system enabled parity of career progression between managers and people who focussed on developing their technical expertise.